Unable To Meet Pope Francis, America's Tourists Break Two Ancient Roman Statues At The Vatican Museum

Museo Chiaramonti Museum Vatican. (Wikimedia Commons/Daderot)

JAKARTA - An American tourist destroyed about two ancient Roman statues into parts in the Vatican on Wednesday.

This incident occurred at Museo Chiaramonti, part of the Vatican Museum, around lunch time. The space hosts about 1,000 ancient statues, describing itself as "one of the best collections of Roman statues" in the world.

Two of the statues now face an uncertain future, after the tourist dropped one in anger, then knocked the others down as he fled the scene.

The man demanded to meet Pope Francis, according to the newspaper Il Messaggero. When he was told he couldn't, he allegedly threw a Roman statue on the floor.

While he was running away from the museum staff, the tourist dropped another statue.

The two artworks have been taken to an inhouse workshop for review. About 2,000 years old, the statues are considered secondary work, not famous work, a source told Il Messaggero.

Director of the Press Office for the Vatican Museum Matteo Alessandrini told CNN the American man, about 50, was in the corridor of "Galleria Chiaramonte", which houses about 100 statues and statues.

"The statue is attached to the shelf with nails, but if you drag it by force, they will be released," he explained, launching CNN October 6.

"He pulled one and then the other, with the guards coming right away and stopping him, handed him over to the Vatican police who took him in for questioning. At around 17:30 he was handed over to Italian authorities," he explained.

"Two statues have been damaged but not too severe. One has lost the nose and ears, the other's head is off the mat," he said.

He said restoration work had begun, and "they will soon be restored and returned to the Museum."

Tourists damaged the monument have come to attention this summer in Rome. In July, a Canadian tourist was caught carving his name on the Colosseum, while American tourists were caught throwing scooters at the Spanish Steps, breaking parts of the process. And, a Saudi Arabian visitor drove his Maserati to the same architectural icon.